As dawn breaks on the terrace of the palace, the verdict is final: if the Empress does not acquire the shadow she lacks within three days, her husband will be turned to stone. At what cost can the implacable prophecy be thwarted? Forced to mingle with humans, the woman without a shadow discovers a world of cruelty and pain, but also of kindness and generosity, a world that will transform her. An initiatory fresco teeming with symbolism and accompanied by the most sumptuous music, this most ambitious collaboration between Strauss and Hofmannsthal tackles, in the midst of World War I, a question that is more pressing than ever: what is the essence of humanity and why should it be perpetuated? In contrast to modern scepticism, it offers a vision full of hope and reiterates the urgency of storytelling in an age of disenchantment.